Chapter 16

The children were thinking about something in their minds.

After school, the three siblings headed straight home.

The town was not very close to Shanshun Village; it took nearly an hour to walk there.

Cao Qiuhua and Chen Zong reluctantly allowed their delicate daughter to endure hardship and gave their bicycles to the two brothers to ride.

Chen Nongmo sat sideways on the front crossbar, which was covered with a cotton pad, while Chen Yi straddled the back. Their younger brother, Chen Jun, pedaled the bike furiously, making it spin like a whirlwind all the way back home.

When they arrived home, Chen Nongmo, who had almost believed she would get into a bicycle accident and crash into a snowbank, weakly stepped into the house. She didn’t go to check on her fourth brother, who was being scolded and was crying out in pain from the beatings by their fifth brother.

“Why are you back so early today? Did the teacher let you out of school early?” Cao Qiuhua was busy putting away her needle and thread in a basket, planning to prepare dinner. When she saw her daughter return, she thought she had misread the time and subconsciously glanced at her wristwatch.

Chen Nongmo began to remove her thick coat and hat to hang them on the coat rack. Hearing her mother’s question, she became annoyed and complained, “Today, Fourth Brother was riding the bike, and I almost thought I saw the Bridge of Helplessness.”

“What Bridge of Helplessness?”

“… It’s the one to the underworld, where King Yan rules.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Qiuhua, who had been calm and gentle, immediately darkened her expression. She first slapped her daughter and scolded, “Don’t speak such feudal nonsense.”

Then, with a loud “smack!” she put down her work, took off her shoes, and marched toward the troublesome boy.

Seeing this, Chen Jun, who had just stepped into the doorway, didn’t have time to protest to his little sister. He turned and tried to run.

However, before he could even take a step, Chen Yi, quick on his feet, grabbed hold of his clothes.

The outcome was predictable. Chen Jun, holding his sore bottom where his mother had spanked him, glared at his little sister with grievance, pouting and whining.

After dealing with the troublesome children, Cao Qiuhua ordered the twins to add water to the water tank before heading off with a stern face to prepare dinner.

Chen Nongmo, still upset, followed her mother into the kitchen to help.

That night, they had sorghum porridge with corn cakes for dinner.

By the afternoon, things had settled down. Cao Qiuhua directed her daughter to start the fire, while she washed her hands and took the dough from the wooden basin to knead it again on the table. “If Fourth Brother misbehaves again, come and tell me. That kid needs to be disciplined. If not, he’s going to end up breaking his arms or legs. He rides the bike like a mad dog chasing after him.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo instinctively smiled, then paused in her task of picking up the wheat stalks. She suddenly realized—did she just complain earlier?

Not hearing her daughter respond, Cao Qiuhua turned around and smiled. “What? Are you embarrassed now?”

She quite liked the way her daughter had just complained; it was the lively behavior a teenage girl should have. It was a far cry from how Chen Nongmo had seemed recently, when she was so gentle that Cao Qiuhua had started to worry. She feared her daughter might be bullied in places they couldn’t see.

A girl’s temper should be a bit stronger.

Chen Nongmo wasn’t actually embarrassed; it was just… a bit strange. After all, behavior like complaining and acting spoiled felt far too distant from her.

So distant, in fact, that she still found it hard to believe.

In just over a month, she had gone from a harmless, rounded figure to someone with sharp edges.

Yes, from the perspective of Chen Nongmo, who had grown up in the welfare house, complaining was sometimes just a form of acting spoiled or being willful.

After a moment of awkward silence, she cleared her throat and asked, “Second Brother should be back soon, right?”

Cao Qiuhua smiled even more, following her daughter’s lead. “Today was just a preliminary checkup. He’s not home yet. He’s probably coming back with the Military Unit.”

“Are many people from our village participating?”

Recently, Chen Nongmo had been very busy. She had received her parents’ address from Big Brother’s letter, and in these past days, she had made clothes not just for Big Brother, but also for her parents.

Although when sending the package, because she wasn’t familiar with her parents’ situation, she only sent shoes, that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm for gathering things for them.

She was so caught up in it that she hadn’t had the time to go around the village and join in the social activities, so she had no idea how many people from Shanshun Village had signed up for the selection.

Cao Qiuhua shaped the dough into dough balls, rolled them into circles, and flattened them, making corn cakes about the size of a palm. Soon, the shallow basket was filled to the brim. Hearing her daughter’s question, she didn’t even turn around and replied, “How could there not be many? All the ones of proper age went. Serving in the military is a glorious thing.”

Before her daughter could respond, Cao Qiuhua continued, “I told you to go out with your brothers. Staying indoors all day must be driving you crazy. I don’t know what you’re thinking. When I was young, I couldn’t sit still for long. I used to run outside every day, and I even went hunting in the mountains…”

“It’s too cold outside. I don’t feel like moving.” In her past life, to make a living and repay the foster mother’s care, Chen Nongmo had pushed herself to the limit, almost turning into a spinning top, running around every day. This time, with her family complete and no financial worries, she just wanted to live according to her own nature, doing whatever felt comfortable.

Besides, how cold was it outside? Didn’t the warm stove room seem much better?

Cao Qiuhua suddenly understood, dusting off the flour from her hands. She carried the basket to the stove and gestured for her daughter to start the fire. “That’s true. You southern girls can’t handle the cold. It’s better to stay inside.”

By the time Dad Zong and Second Brother came home, it was already completely dark.

Fortunately, the two of them, carrying the chill and frost from the journey, brought back good news—they had passed the preliminary check.

At the dinner table, Chen Zong, who had been silent, drank a few mouthfuls of wine with a happy expression before briefly telling the family about the results of the preliminary check.

Cao Liu, with his muscular build and towering height of nearly 1.9 meters, stood out among the many thin and frail people who were struggling with basic survival. The recruiting officer immediately noticed him, patting his shoulder and squeezing his muscles, calling him a fine specimen. Upon learning that he had graduated high school, the officer was even more pleased, stating that as long as there were no issues with the political review, Cao Liu would be sent directly to the guard unit.

It was important to know that the guard unit had higher standards than regular soldiers, but it also offered more opportunities for advancement once inside.

The recruiting officer’s words meant that Cao Liu had essentially been pre-selected.

The political review would definitely pass; otherwise, someone with the same household registration as Chu Wuwen wouldn’t even be able to join the army.

“That’s great, really great…” Cao Qiuhua repeatedly said “great,” her hands still patting Second Brother’s firm arm.

As parents, they actually felt reluctant to send their son to the army. While it was indeed a glorious thing, their eldest son had been in the military for ten years and had only come home three times.

If Second Brother went, who knew how many years it would be before they saw him again.

But this was something their son had been dreaming of, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They couldn’t hold him back either.

But then… “Are you still going to serve in H Province?”

Cao Liu served his mother two chopsticks of vegetables. “That’s not certain. We won’t know until after the new recruit training.”

“Right, right, look at me, Big Brother was like this back then…”

Chen Zong patted his wife’s hand, knowing she was reluctant, but the children had grown up and needed to go out and experience the world.

After the lively dinner, Chen Nongmo finished washing up and returned to her room.

Lying on Wen Nuan’s heated brick bed, her excitement slowly began to fade.

The initial screening, the physical exam, political review, and investigation… After going through all the procedures, it would take at least two more months before they officially received the military enlistment notice.

This meant that Second Brother, full of vigor and ambition, would face a lifetime with a wheelchair after losing his legs in a heroic rescue—two more months until that disaster struck.

Thinking of this, Chen Nongmo sighed deeply. She turned onto her side and reminded herself again to keep a close eye on the progress of Second Brother’s enlistment.

The next day.

After waking up, Chen Nongmo didn’t see Second Brother and felt a pang of anxiety.

Then she realized she might have overreacted. She asked Fifth Brother, who was serving breakfast, “Where’s Second Brother?”

“He went to the village militia’s gun training. He should be back soon. Hurry up and come eat breakfast.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo didn’t say anything further and quickly sat down at the table to eat.

Cao Qiuhua, helpless, brought over the milk powder she had prepared, stirring it while muttering, “Every morning, it’s like a battle. Can’t you wake up just ten minutes earlier?”

“The bed is too warm.” Chen Nongmo smiled mischievously, teasing with her words.

But she was beautiful—not just with delicate features, but with an extraordinary aura, like a noble lady from an ancient painting. Her presence made everyone happy just by looking at her.

Cao Qiuhua had always adored her, and now, seeing her mischievously act cute, she immediately lost her composure. She grabbed an empty bowl, poured milk into it to cool, and said, “You do have a point. You’re still young, and your health isn’t the best. You need to sleep more.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Jun, who was also 16 years old and only a couple of months older than his younger sister, felt a little sore all over.

After sending the children off to school, Cao Qiuhua didn’t rest either.

Once Second Brother finished breakfast, the family of three went to the Village Committee.

When Chu Wuwen received the call that his younger brother had passed the preliminary check, he wasn’t surprised.

However, when he learned that the recruiting officer had taken an interest in him, he was still extremely pleased and solemnly advised, “At times like this, you have to keep steady. Don’t do anything reckless.”

Cao Liu laughed. “You know what kind of person I am.”

Chu Wuwen also smiled. “True, you’ve always been calm and measured since you were young, but you still can’t be careless. At times like this, all sorts of troublemakers might pop up.”

There were very few military spots available each year, and some highly qualified individuals would end up mysteriously being eliminated.

It wasn’t easy to discuss this on the phone, but Cao Liu understood: “Don’t worry, brother. With you backing me, no ordinary person would do something foolish.”

In a county, only a few people really made it, and everyone knew that Chu Wuwen was an officer in the Military Unit now.

While most people might not know exactly what rank he held, that didn’t stop others from being more cautious when they might have ill intentions.

“I can’t do much from afar, you’ll have to stay sharp yourself. If anything happens, contact me immediately.” The phone call was brief, and after a few more words of advice, Chu Wuwen handed the phone over to their parents.

Chen Zong spoke very little, and within less than half a minute, he handed the phone over to his wife.

Normally, at this time, Cao Qiuhua’s conversations would mostly revolve around her sons, but this time, she only mentioned them briefly before happily talking about her daughter’s many good qualities.

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On the other end of the phone, Chu Wuwen’s expression softened more and more.

It seemed that the arrival of Little Sister had made their mother very happy.

That’s good…

“…Oh, I almost forgot, Yuyu felt bad for accepting your New Year’s money, so she specifically designed an outfit for you and made a set of clothes. I sent it out yesterday,” Cao Qiuhua said, slapping her forehead just before hanging up.

“I don’t need any clothes. The Military Unit provides them. You should keep the fabric for yourselves.” Though Chu Wuwen said this, he was genuinely touched, and when he looked down at the well-fitted leather boots he was wearing, a proud smile appeared on his face.

“The family doesn’t lack fabric. Wear it if you want, and it took Little Sister several days to finish it—she really strained her eyes.”

Chu Wuwen couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Little Sister is definitely more considerate than her younger brother.”

Cao Qiuhua beamed with pride. “Of course! Yuyu is very thoughtful and perceptive. She even made a set for that little kid Shao, exactly the same as yours. When you get it, make sure to give it to him, okay?”

Chu Wuwen’s smile immediately disappeared.